Contact finger for relays



Feb. 25, 1930.

J. MERKEL CONTACT FINGER FOR RELAYS Filed Oct. 8, 1926 NVENTO? ATTORNEY hPatentedFel 25,

corr'rAcrqrr-nenn on RELAYS,

i tention. re a i i gener t relays;

ai idi fer more. parti ul rly 7 9 a eenteet finger for rela s such asused, for example, in railiir yis gnai gt :i -w- .111 one :nsu form o n ac fin e t centa tt p i fixed o aree nt armi united to the finger, and v his resilient arm is fl xe on eac p ra i nrt e r l y Wh by apermanent set is soon; given tothe arm 'xvhich disturbs the adjustment of the relay,

d cr ases he p essure be n ont ts nd i ncr,easesi the necessary-travel of the, "finger hefore initial contact. I Such a permanent set canb re d lysorr ed, d hu n. pree- ,ticeythe lifenf a1-relay isrmaterially shortened:

' .tively biased by an afdjustablespring.;-i 5'2 to simplify the construction, increase the eflia mong objects-$ i in en .ciency, and prolong. the usefullifg oif devices lofthecharacterin question. v5

Further objects, purposes, andcharacteriiefi l u e; l pr e esth des rip ion .pr res sr eneebein li i th st ets: ip' y is w nss 'eh W a 9le y by. y E' f e ia 'ldl i 9 f mefthe inY-e t enln di wifi yi I Fig'Ql'is a toppl'an view era, detached contact fingeficon'striicte'd in acc r ance with "thisinventionJ e r Fig; -2"isa side"elevation of, the finger, shown connected to an operating member, and with'parts broken 'away. Y FigJS'i's a bottom plan view of thedetached contactifinger. 5;

Fig.4 is a sectional view 0f a detail. 7

3,. ,Fig. 5-is a section on line 5'-'5 0f Fig. 2, aviewed in the di ection .Q g a r sa; llmi icat n fi siD t te 8, .19 6. seria1 .1vo;14o,s75.. f

yinnirnn for ROCHESTER'NEWYORK, Assisi-r03. T0 ennnnefi RAILWAY '"EIG YAIA M ANIIQ STEE 'YQ Re ring; to th v a gs, h ent-ad finger, shown -.therein comprises two main parts, aparrlermember land a pivoted memher 2 pivotedito the memherl by mounting it on an arm 3 consistingof a cut out portion 5 of the member l bent upat-rig ht iangles theret o-,--as shown. The arm 3 has; a strip-4 out from each edge and bent away, from -the hodypf the arm-33in acurvedformatiom-as best shown in Fig. 2, to form bearings for-the 2plvoted member 2 whichnis slotted to pass over the uppertend ofarm .3v andiis held thereon againstrthe strips l, by a wjire,5, passv I .ingthrough a hole in the arm 3,.abovethe' pivoteddnember, and bent around such armin .a general S-shape (Fig; 1);

,, The'-rr 1embersland 2, as shown, are formed wlth a'chann'e-l section, of thin material. an aluminum; alloy vfor example, and. preferably (by,stamping,-thechannelasection' giving the z members the -necessary rigidity, while the thin materialused avoids'any material deformation ,offthe; samedue to temperature changes such as those to which relays are subjected,*when in use.-

{.lhe carr er member, is furnished; with a plurality; of apertures .6, variously shaped and spaced to Y permit-of fastening it to va.-

rious ope'ratin i means In the particular form illustrate ,the carrier member isshown bolted to a. .pivotedarmaturefi of a 1]) "G relay, butit can ,of :course, be used in con nection with any desired type'of relay. '5 LThe end of the carrier member is furnished wlthan aperture 6 for connection to a lead in wire orpigt'ail, unless this connection he made at a difierent point as described below .i The'carriermemb l has itsrfifieeejnd, nt

slightly downward, as at s, andthen form-a,

5 asat 9, thepares being received in an aperture 10in a downwardly projecting end 11 on the-me'mb;e1"2,.while the part 8 is received an'aperturelQ in a'spring arm 13 riveted fat, 14 to' thejmember Land having riveted to I it a contact tip 15 of highlyconductive ma"- terial, such as coin silver'orthe like.

theLouter-end of plvoted ember 2 is riveted an inverted; U-shaped contact 16 of coin silver or 0the1r c0nd l t YG terial. The contact tips 15 and 16 constitute respectively the back and front contacts of the device.

A flexible wire 17, preferably of stranded copper, is fastened, as by soldering it, at 18, to the front contact 16, is then looped through the pivoted member 2 at 19, passed through a downwardly extending end 20 on the spring arm 13, anal has its other end soldered to a connecting ring 21 adapted to be clamped-to a terminal post of-the relay in which this contact finger is to be used.

This pivoted member 2, at its inner end, has riveted to it, a threaded bolt 22 passing down through an opening 23 in the member 1, and about this bolt opening 23 the material is cut backto form three arms 24 which are bent downwardly at right angles to the member 1 to form a cup for receiving a washer 25. The threaded end of the bolt has a longitudinal groove 26, and a spring receiving cup 27 is slidably received on a bolt, and has an inwardly projecting lug 28 received in the groove to thus prevent rotation of the cup tion of such contact.

on the bolt. 7 t

A nut 29 is threaded onto the bolt and has a plurality of saw slots 30 in its inner face, for receiving an upstanding lock finger 31 integral with, and pressed out of the material forming, the cup. A compression coil spring 32 is sleeved on the bolt and bears at its two ends on the washer 25 and cup 27. The cup and nut 27, 29, together with the spring 32, form an effectual locking means, the finger 31 on the cup preventing rotation of the nut 29 since the lug 28 on the cup prevents the cup from rotating on the bolt, while the spring 32 holds the cup and nut in locking contact with each other.

The spring 32 operates to bias the pivoted member 2 and its front contact 16, away from the end of member 1 with the part 9 of member 1 bearing against the lower edge of aperture 10 therein, (Fig. 5) while the spring arm 13 is adjusted to be normally biased away from the member 1, with part 8 of'member 1 bearing against the upper edge of aperture 12.

It is thus clear that movement of carrier member 1 about its fixed end in an upwardly or a downwardly direction, between usual front'and back fixed contacts, will operate to press the front or back contact 16 or 15,t0- ward the member 1, untilmotion is limited by the apertures 10 or 12, against the tension of spring 32 or spring arm 13.

At any time, with the construction just de-' scribed, the tension of spring 32 can be eas ily adjusted by screwing of the nut 29 on the bolt 22, after having first pulled the lock finger 31 out of engagement therewith, to thus vary the tension on the arm 2 carrying the movable front contact 16 without, at the same time, affecting the proper initial posi- 1. In a relay contact finger, a carrier member, a front 'cont-act, a back contact, an arm for each contact fastened to the carrier member, and a projection on the carrier member passing through motion limiting parts on the arms. v

2. In a relay contact finger, a-carrier member, a front contact, a back contact, ani'arm for each contact fastened to thecarrler member, a closed loop on each said arm receiv mgone end of the carr1er member, the arms being normally biased away from the carrier member with the carrier member bearing against one edge of each closed loop.

3. In a relay contact finger, a carrier arm, a' cut-out upstanding integral strip on the arm, a part at each edge of the strip being bent away from the strip to form curved bearings, a contact carrying arm pivoted on the strip andresting against the curved bearings, and means to hold the contact arm on its pivot.

4. In a relay contact finger, a carrier arm, a struck up integral strip on the arm, a part at each edge of the strip being bent'away from the strip to form curved bearings, a contact carrying arm pivoted on the strip and resting against the curved bearings, and a wire passing through the end of the strip above the carrying arm and bent to'hold the contact arm on said stri r 5. In a relay contact ng'er, a carrier member, a rigid contact arm pivoted to the'member, a threaded stem fixed to the contact arm and passing through the carrier member, a longitudinal groove in the threaded part of the stem, a cup slidable on the stem, a lug on the cup projecting into the groove,'a plural slotted nut on the stem, a lock finger on the cup arranged to fit into any one of the nut slots, and a spring sleeved on the stem between the cup and the carrier member.

'6. In a relay contact finger, acarrier member, a rigid contact arm pivoted to the "member, a threaded stem fixed to the contact arm and passing through the carrier member, a longitudinal groove in the threaded part of the stem, acup slidable on the stem, a lug on the cup projecting into the groove, a slotted nut on the stem, a lock finger on the cup arranged to fit into any one of the nut slots, a spring sleeved on the stem between V signature.

' end of the spring.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my JOSEPH FRED MERKEL. 

